Gilbert: Wowed by voices of youth

Students at Parkland High School have taught us how valuable their words are.

You don’t have to travel to Florida to be wowed by the voices of young people, though.

Sierra Middle School offered an impressive lesson with its science fair on Wednesday.

The assignment was to conduct a traditional project relying on scientific method or create a public service announcement.

“We didn’t give them the topics,” said teacher Saravjeet Sandhu. “They’re educating themselves. That’s the most important thing. When students educate themselves, it makes them more successful for college. We did not put them in a box. They were on their own.”

The array of topics demonstrated some passion (does listening to music or chewing gum affect test scores?) as well as awareness of current events (how opiates affect the body and brain, energy drinks versus sports drinks and a look at bees as an endangered species).

More than one addressed the campaign to Save Swenson Park, ignited when a city of Stockton proposal included building houses on the site of the 65-year-old park located across the street from the school.

Students walking to and from Sierra Middle School, located on Alexandria Place, can’t help but notice yard after yard with signs supporting the move to Save Swenson Park.

Keane Jimenez is one of the eighth-graders who noticed.

He wanted to make a PSA for his assignment, but he earned honors for his project because he included science as well as passion in his position.

Raised by a mom — Marie Mallare — who created a service learning class while teaching at the University of San Francisco to teach students how to be effective advocates, Jimenez understood it wasn’t enough to be passionate about a subject. Although a topic really needs to come from the heart for successful activism, Mallare said.

Jimenez did research and leaned there are eight species, including the San Joaquin kit fox and San Joaquin antelope squirrel that call Swenson Park Home and would be endangered. He interviewed Councilwoman Christina Fugazi, who opposes the housing plan.

“She doesn’t want that because affordable housing creates carbon dioxide and air pollution, risking the lives of the youth of Sierra Middle School and Lincoln High School,” Jimenez said. “It doesn’t just affect the students. It also affects the people living around Swenson Park.”

Jimenez created a three-panel stand-up poster like all of his classmates, but he also created a video for his presentation and turned to the internet.

He created a survey and a petition that he hopes will draw 1,000 signatures from local youth, ages 10-18, within the next year. At that time, he plans to take his petition to the Stockton City Council.

The survey asks such questions as “Do you believe in preserving a space where endangered species lives?” and “What can be added to Swenson Park to make it more youth friendly?”

The petition is for youth, but adults are welcome to chime in.

So far, the petition, listed at thepetitionsite.com under “Youth4SaveSwensonPark,” has drawn 36 responses, including from people in the Netherlands, Mexico, Chile, Belgium, France, Germany, India and Croatia.

They’re pro-green space.

“At first it was unexpected. It’s really fantastic, really cool that someone from another nation is looking at this and supporting this,” Jimenez said.

Check off a couple more lessons: A local cause can have global appeal and there can be power in activism.

“If something personally affects me I would like to be an activist, to present something and fight for my rights like saving Swenson Park,” Jimenez said. “This is personal to me because I go to Sierra Middle School and Swenson Park is just across the street. It would be shocking to me to see this nice scenery, this cool landscape now and as a senior at Lincoln High (located next door), to be looking and seeing housing on that property.”

Bravo to Sandhu and her Sierra Middle School colleagues for inviting their students to find something they care about, as Jimenez clearly cares about Swenson Park, and to use their voice for positive change.

Young people, even eighth-graders, have valid points of view. Their ideas and causes and perspectives may change over time, but knowing how to effectively present their position to effect change is a skill that will stay with them a lifetime.